Lie to Me
by CullensTwiMistress
Summary: It wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to love her. She wasn't supposed to get pregnant. "Lie to me, Edward. Tell me you love her." AH; ExB; EPOV.


**Summary: It wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to love her. She wasn't supposed to get pregnant. "Lie to me, Edward. Tell me you love her." AH; ExB; EPOV; Romance/Drama**

**Warnings: I own nothing Twilighty.**

**This was written for the Christmas Wishes compilation. A huge thanks to everyone who donated.**

**Midnight Cougar beta'd; Joey pre-read. Thank you! :)**

…

**PROLOGUE**

"Tell me you hate me. Tell me you never want to see me again. Lie to me, Edward." Her fists come in contact with my chest, thumping against my ribcage. Small and painful. "Tell me," she screams; her voice full of pain, confusion, disillusion. "You tell me now, Edward. You tell me how you slept with her. How she was better than me." Angry tears slide down her cheek. "Tell me. Lie to me, and tell me you love _her_."

I can't do it. She's my everything. If I lie to her now, there's no going back.

"I can't, Bella, I just can't. I love you."

"You can't love me. We can't be together, Edward. This thing - you, me, this baby - it can't happen." Sobs erupt from her lips and her body stills in my arms.

She cries and cries. Sobs, uttering, "Lie to me."

Just to make it all easier. Just to stop the pain. I can't lie to her; it would be like lying to myself. I can't do that. _She_ is my life.

"I'm sorry, Bella. We'll work through this." Soothing her and holding her while she falls apart, I need to think quickly.

…

…

...

"So, I hired a housekeeper," Angela states casually as she gets dressed, moving around our bedroom and not really looking at me.

"I thought we'd been through this. We don't need a housekeeper, Ang." My wife thinks that having money is grounds for not cleaning our own home. She doesn't work and I spend my days in an office. The least she can do is vacuum.

"Well, Edward Cullen, I didn't marry you to spend my life being your maid. Isabella starts tomorrow and that's final," she states, hands on her hips, chin jutted out and eyes on fire.

"Will she be living here?" I sigh, resigned. This isn't about money. I have plenty of money and Ang has her own money from an inheritance. I just don't want a stranger in my house cleaning up after me and washing my dirty underwear.

I grew up in a house where no matter how rich we were, we cleaned up after ourselves and my mom was a mom. She didn't have a job outside the house, but we were well taken care of and our house was immaculate. We never had a nanny or a housekeeper and my father came home every night for dinner.

"I've taken the liberty of giving her the big room with the ensuite down the hall. Do you have a problem with that, Edward?" Angela sighs and pulls on her heels. I'm not sure what she's doing today. I don't know what she does on any day for that matter. She says she's busy with work, but she never elaborates and if I ask too many questions, I get an eye roll or a sigh.

"Whatever you want, Ang." I stand and kiss her cheek. She's already got her lipstick on, so I know not to kiss her lips.

My wife's a little high maintenance.

Unfortunately, she wasn't this way before we got married a year ago. Seems marriage changes some people.

…

"Isabella, I've heard so much about you." I put on my best smile and shake her small hand. Her appearance in my kitchen has taken me by surprise as we usually eat take-out. Not gonna lie, though. I'm happy to see a home cooked meal.

She beams, a full on smile and it takes me aback. She's stunning. "Call me Bella. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cullen. Mrs. Cullen has told me a lot about you, too."

I mentally shake myself out of whatever this is I'm feeling. I'm a married man. I'm in my mid-thirties, while this woman is clearly in her early twenties. I can't be attracted to her. "Call me Edward. No sense in all the formality. Where is my wife, by the way?"

Bella's eyes light up. "Oh, Mrs. Cullen said she would be late, so it's just you and I, sir."

Oh sweet Jesus, she cannot be calling me sir. My cock twitches, reminding me how attractive she is and how long it's been since I got laid.

"Please, Bella, don't call me sir. That's...I don't like that at all," I tell her and she giggles as she plates our food.

We eat in companionable silence, until Bella mentions the Mariners and we start talking.

Then I help her wash and dry the dishes as she tells me about her family and friends. After the dishes are done, we have coffee and I tell her about my work.

And we talk until late into the night.

Angela comes home after I'm already in bed. I don't ask her where she's been, and she doesn't tell me.

…

Weeks go by and it feels as though Angela is pulling away from me. Since hiring Bella, she's almost never home. She used to be there to keep me company during dinner or to accompany me to the grocery store. Call me crazy, but the mundane task of grocery shopping once a week keeps me grounded into reality. It's a quirk I have. I can't imagine having anyone else pick out what I should feel like drinking or eating.

Ang has told me she signed up to lead a charity auction and that it's keeping her busier than she thought. I'm okay with that. She leads her own life, and I do my own, but I miss my wife. When she comes home at two in the morning on a Saturday, I decide I've had enough and confront her.

"It's not my fault, Edward. Besides, I got you Bella to do that stuff with you. Give the girl a list, she'll get you your Cheerios," she scoffs and sits on the edge of the bed as she pulls off her socks.

"But I miss _you_." I pull her into my arms and kiss that spot below her ear; the one I know drives her wild. "I miss my wife. I miss feeling you like this." I press a kiss to her shoulder just as she pulls away.

"I have to get up early tomorrow, Edward, and I need a shower. Can we...I don't know, maybe we can schedule this for next Friday?" she says and walks off before I can reply.

My wife wants to schedule sex? What the fuck is this?

…

Another few weeks go by and Bella has become my grocery buddy, as well as my dinner date and my laundry mate.

I can't say I mind, though. I'd be lying if I did.

She's great. Funny. Quirky. Has a big heart.

She's taking online classes to become something while she works for us.

She admitted to me, while we were looking for some apples to make my favorite pie, that she took the job because she had been looking for a place to live, and working for me provided her that, as well as a good pay.

I can't deny how attracted I am to her either. She's got that whole innocent thing going on, but I know she's nothing but. Sometimes we joke around and make lurid comments that would make the most pervy thirteen year old blush, only she doesn't blush. She just laughs it off, as I do, and we keep talking like it never even happened.

I haven't made any advances toward her, I am a married man, after all, but I do look. And once in a while, I catch her looking too.

It's small things. Like how she bumps my hip with hers when we're standing at the counter, or how she'll make my coffee just the right way in the morning. She shows that she cares, and that right there is what attracts me to her so much.

As my wife seems to find her own path in life, we're definitely drifting apart. That scheduled sex doesn't happen and two months go by before we broach the subject again.

This time, she leaves.

I start drinking.

"Hey, are you okay?" Bella asks as she takes a seat next to me at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, I'm fucking great," I reply and drink down the rest of my scotch. Taking the bottle, I pour another glass and drink that one too.

"Whoa, slow down there, Edward. What's going on?" she asks gently and takes the glass away from me. I don't think she's ever seen me drink and she's been here for over four months now.

I'm feeling all hazy and I'm pretty sure I see two of her. They're beautiful. Dark brown hair, sparkling green eyes full of concern, and pouty pink lips that are begging to be kissed.

And without a second thought, I kiss those lips. They're as soft as they look, but she pulls away too quickly.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I just...Angela and I...we're not..." I shake my head. "I'm very attracted to you, Bella, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Edward. Just...we can't, okay?" She smoothes my hair out of my face and I pull her into a hug.

Inhaling deeply, I take note of how wonderful she smells - like cookies and warmth and vanilla. I don't want to be all pervy and fuck this all up, but my dick has other plans as it decides to wake up and press against the zipper of my pants. I pray she doesn't notice, or maybe she doesn't care. Either way, I don't know how long we stay that way - intertwined, chest to chest - but when I let her go, I feel like I'm losing part of myself.

I don't even feel that way about Angela, and I'm married to her.

...

I end up sleeping off my stupor and Bella doesn't bring it up. If she's upset that I came on to her, she doesn't let it show either.

I'm grateful to have her in my life, because at this point she's pretty much my only friend.

Angela used to be my best friend. We'd gone to high school together, drifted apart for a few years, then re-connected and got married.

I was never a social person, keeping my head in my books had always been what my life was about until we got married. Then the prospect of a family had enticed me into the life we have now...or maybe I should say _had _up until recently.

She'd insisted on this large house, stating that we'd start a family soon, but we haven't had sex in months and I think she's having an affair.

Ben Cheney, the director for those charity auctions that Angela seems to spend so much time organizing, is currently going through a divorce. A sinking feeling churns in my stomach as the reality that my wife may be having an affair rips through me.

I don't know whether to be appalled or happy about it.

So, knocking gently on Bella's door, I decide I need to talk to my best friend about it all. After all, talking to her seems to feel like second nature at this point. I feel like we've grown so close, that I could tell her anything without being afraid of judgement. I may not have been happy about having her here, but I'm glad she's here now.

...

"So, you think she's cheating on you?" Bella asks and soothes her hand up and down my back.

I feel like my entire world is collapsing around me. My wife was my world, and now she's...gone. I've lost her and there's nothing I can do about it.

And part of me, and I don't know how big this part is, doesn't really want her back.

"Bella, I've never seen her this...distant. She hasn't even touched me in months." I close my eyes and let Bella's gentle touch cover me and wrap me up. "I...I shouldn't be talking to you about this."

She shrugs. "It's okay, really. I have eyes, you know? I wasn't always here, but I remember the two of you being more...amorous in the beginning."

"Amorous," I scoff. "We haven't done that in months."

"She's crazy not to want you, Edward." Bella's hand stills on my back and she pulls it away.

"Why? Do you..." I swallow and take a deep breath, turning to her. "Do you want me?"

My question seems to surprise her and she looks away. "It doesn't matter. You're married."

"Do you want me?" I ask again, breathless. The prospect of her even wanting to be with me like that... It does something deep within me and this time, when my eyes meet hers, she doesn't have to answer. It's right there, that look - the one I've seen only a few times - her eyes are dark, hooded and she looks at me like...like I'm something to eat.

Leaning in slowly, I give her a chance to retreat, but she doesn't. My lips meet hers tentatively at first, but the fiery passion we've both been avoiding for the last six months or so pushes itself through my every nerve ending. It ends up in a heated kiss that wakes up every inch of me that seems to have been lying dormant for too long.

I hold her face tenderly between my hands and pull back, letting her decide if this is what she wants. But instead of pushing me away like I expect, she crawls up on her knees and leans forward, kissing me this time.

There are no words spoken; only touches and kisses as we explore each other. Before long, clothes are discarded and I'm sucking on one perfect nipple, while my fingers trail up and down her wet sex as she mewls and writhes beneath me.

Bella gives herself over to me completely, letting me guide her and touch her however I want. Pleasure like I never knew existed courses through me as I make her come with my fingers. That power over someone - to make them lose control - has never felt so good.

She's still panting and coming down from her bliss when I slowly enter her. She cradles me lovingly between her thighs as she pulls me inside her wet heat.

Face to face, breathing each other's breath, I move within her, each stroke with purpose as I love her chest and neck with my mouth. She chants my name and I grunt hers as I come deep within her.

Her sex keeps me there, tight and warm, until I'm ready to go again.

We do this all night. I love her with my body. I show her all of me and I can only hope she does the same. It feels like for the first time in forever, I'm able to connect to someone on a whole other level. Being with her this way only seals our fate, as I'm not sure I could ever go back to my wife.

Sharing this with Bella, I feel like I'm finally complete.

When the morning comes, I wake up alone in her bed. A simple note on her dresser says everything.

_I'm sorry. I quit._

_Bella_

…

Weeks go by and I think I'm going mad.

I can't find her anywhere. Her previous address proves fruitless.

I start drinking heavily at night. It seems to numb the pain, but it never takes it completely away. I fall asleep in her bed every night, inhaling her scent and wishing she was there too.

I miss her. I miss coming home to her at night. I miss her warmth and thoughtfulness. I miss her stories about what she'd gone through that day. I miss her voice; her sweet nature. I need her like I need air.

I realize that for a long time, I'd only been surviving, going through the motions of a loveless marriage, doing what I should be doing. With Bella here, it felt like a real home. She was my home.

Angela moves out of the house after I tell her the truth. She tells me there's nothing going on with Ben, but at this stage it's a moot point. I've fucked it all up and fallen in love with another woman.

I need to find Bella.

Researching the Swans in Seattle, I find a Jasper Swan and give him a call. He's Bella's uncle and he quickly gives me the name of Bella's father. Bella grew up in Forks, a small town about four hours from here and I never imagined she'd go back home. From what she had told me, it wasn't somewhere she wanted to return.

I also never imagined what I'd find when I get there.

The house is small and dilapidated. There's paint chipping off of the siding and one of the windows is boarded up.

I slowly make my way up the front porch and pray it holds my weight as I knock on the door.

A man with a hideous moustache opens the door. He's clearly drunk and I'm starting to think that I'm not at the right address.

"Is Bella here?" I ask tentatively, looking around and hoping I've got the wrong place. How do people live like this?

"You the idiot who knocked her up?" he asks, taking a swig from his beer bottle.

"I'm sorry, what?" Is Bella pregnant? Millions of things go through my mind in mere seconds before I see her small frame down the hall. Her eyes are downcast and she looks defeated.

I clear my throat and our eyes meet briefly. "Bella, what's going on? Are you...are you pregnant?"

"Daddy, I'll take it from here," she says as she moves past her father. He simply shakes his head and goes into another room. "What are you doing here, Edward?"

I'm hurt and relieved, but still confused. "Why did you go?"

"I couldn't be the reason why you got divorced, Edward. I'm not that girl," she states, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It happened, anyway. I told her everything." I take a step forward into the house and close the door behind me.

"Why?" she yells. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I didn't love her anymore," I implore.

"No. No. No, Edward. You can't do this to yourself. You have to go back." Her voice is hoarse from her crying and I ache to hold her.

"And leave you and my baby, Bella? I don't think so." I look into her eyes, unable to look away. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

She shakes her head. "No. I ruined your life, Edward. You must hate me so much."

"I could never hate you, Bella." I hold on to her upper arms so she stays still and looks at me.

Tears stain her cheeks and her eyes lack that spark they used to have. "But I ruined everything. I wanted you so much, Edward. Since that first day, I wanted you."

"And I wanted you," I tell her softly.

"Tell me you hate me. Tell me you never want to see me again. Lie to me, Edward." Her fists come in contact with my chest, thumping against my ribcage. Small and painful. "Tell me," she screams; her voice full of pain, confusion, disillusion. "You tell me now, Edward. You tell me how you slept with her. How she was better than me." Angry tears slide down her cheek. "Tell me. Lie to me, and tell me you love her."

I can't do it. She's my everything. If I lie to her now, there's no going back.

"I can't Bella, I just can't. I love you." I pull her into my arms and hold her.

"You can't love me. We can't be together, Edward. This thing - you, me, this baby - it can't happen." Sobs erupt from her lips and her body stills in my arms.

She cries and cries. Sobs, uttering, "Lie to me."

Just to make it all easier. Just to stop the pain. I can't lie to her; it would be like lying to myself. I can't do that. _She _is my life.

"I'm sorry, Bella. We'll work through this." Soothing her and holding her while she falls apart, I need to think quickly.

I was a married man, this wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to fall for the housekeeper.

But I did.

I don't know what to do, but I know for sure it's over with Angela. It's been over for a long time, and soon it'll all be behind me.

"I'll get a divorce. I want you, Bella. I think...I think it was always meant to be you," I coo and hold her until she stops moving. "I've loved you from the moment I saw you, Bella. I didn't know it then, but I loved you."

"You can't love me, Edward. I was your housekeeper, remember? I don't have two pennies to rub together, for Christ's sake. This is my father's house. Me and you, we don't live in the same world. I'll never be like Angela." She looks heartbroken.

And then it dawns on me that she thinks I care about status and money. "I don't want you to be like Angela. I like that you're Bella. You make me laugh. You _get _me. You don't care that I wear sweats on Saturday and that I get my hair cut at that place in the mall."

She giggles and it's the sweetest sound. "I like the sweats, they hug your ass," she says and buries her face in my chest.

This right here, this is what I missed and it makes me smile. "Come home, Bella. Please come home with me."

I feel her shaking her head but she won't look at me. "I can't, Edward. I don't belong there."

"You do. It was your home too, Bella. It's my house and I need you there with me." I take her chin between my thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at me. "I miss you. The house is empty without you. Come home, Bella," I plead. "All I want is for you and our baby to come home."

"You're sure about this?" she asks, uncertainty written all over her face.

And to make my point perfectly clear I lean down and kiss her softly. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

…

**A YEAR LATER**

Being a father is the most precious gift anyone could ever have given me.

Whatever Bella thought I was sacrificing to be with her, she quickly found didn't exist. I'm happier than I've ever been and I know she's happy too.

Being free to touch her as I please, whereas before I would close myself off to those desires, is pure bliss for both of us.

After she moved back into the house, I moved my things permanently into her bedroom. It was smaller than the master, but I couldn't let her sleep where my wife had been.

That room is now the baby's room as well as a play area.

With Jacob in my arms and my new wife by my side, I can't imagine how I used to live my life, lying to myself about how much I loved Angela, when the simple truth was that neither of us knew the meaning of true love.

As it had turned out, she really had been sleeping with Ben. She'd lied to me for a long time before even bringing Bella into our lives.

And now that I know what real love is, I can't imagine living without it.

No more lies...Bella _is _my whole truth, my happily ever after.

**THE END**

**...**

**I was supposed to post this as a lil drabbly thing, but I got lazy...**

**Thanks for reading! ;)**

**xox**

**Missy**


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